Hi there, I please need some suggestions for a book gift for my friend. My friend has recently painted me this gorgeous Bear painting, framed it, and sent it to me as a gift. I really want to get her a gift to say thank you because I know she's an avid reader and her favorite genre is fantasy. Trouble is I have absolutely no idea what book to get her as a gift? I think she likes intelligent and very well written books, books that don't hold your hand for you whilst you're reading them? I asked her husband for suggestions but he said any cool fantasy book that I enjoyed I can just pass on and she'd really appreciate the gesture. However, I don't really read fantasy books (except if they have vampires in or they're well-known such as Game of Thrones which she's read already). If anyone can please suggest any really awesome fantasy books that are quite niche that she probably won't have read already would be very much appreciated. Thank you so much.
The Green Rider series by Kristen Britain or the Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon. Also the Abhorsen series by Garth Nix. That one is absolutely stunning to me. Standalone fantasy: The Book of Lost Things by John Connelly, anything by Robin McKinley, anything by Neil Gaiman (although she's probably read a lot of him if she likes fantasy) particularly Anansi Boys. Hope this helps.
The daddy of all fantasy books is the Silmarillion by J.R.R Tolkien. (He who wrote LOTR and the Hobbit). It is not an easy read and if she is into fantasy, she may have read it. Whichever book you choose, might I suggest you try a free quick sample on audiobook. Or you can use youtube for a free sample of an entire book (apparently ).
If you're after something a bit more unusual, try the Lyonesse trilogy, by Jack Vance. These are more traditional fantasy, by which I don't mean elves and dwarves, but more classical British Isles fantasy - fairies (not "faeries"), magic mirrors, a slathering of Arthurian and Celtic mythology, coupled with Vance's unique style. I'm a huge, huge fan of the Thomas Covenant series of books, but some may disagree. Focusing as it does on the natural power of the land, you could call it epic fantasy for tree-huggers. Anything by Terry Pratchett, but it's likely she's read them, if she's an avid fantasy reader. Something a bit more classical, quite engaging, and totally mindless fun - the books by Raymond E. Feist. If you want to treat her to a bit of verbal diarrhoea, Ring of Time. You get more words for your money. Not necessarily GOOD words, but quantity over quality.
Oh, goodness. If it were scifi, I could help you. The crossover of fans between sci fi and fantasy is natural, or it was back in the day when science fiction was willing to be more absurd. ...Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein is good. The technological aspects and science behind it make it fascinating. All Flesh is Grass by Clifford D. Simak is interesting because it feels like a fantasy story -- I can't spoil it, but it's very fantasy in tone. A good series is Triplanetary, which is based on the now since disproved idea of "ether" and also fantastic species controlling the fate of the universe, well, I don't see why a fantasy person wouldn't like it. ...I'll see myself out.
I once bought a book as a gift for someone. I knew they liked sci-fi but little else, so I went with an anthology of short stories that included award winners. My thinking was that there would be at least one story they liked and hadn't read before.
Thank you so much for your help and suggestions everyone. I'm sorry I'm only just replying, I haven't been able to get on my laptop as frequently as I would have liked to over the past few days. I asked her husband, who's also a good friend of mine, to subtly enquire about your suggestions and I went with The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly because she's not heard of that. I also got her some Old Book scented wax melts. Thanks so much again for your help with this.
